the new Dart mono's should be really exciting.
i am curious to the design and how many transistors are beeing used at the output.
the stereoamp has only one pair of transistors each channel.

Tuboo,

this was a concern of Herve's in building a more powerful amplifier. the challenge was to find more power but make it not only as good sounding as the stereo but better with more output devices.

i've not heard them yet myself but reports are that he was successful. i'm looking forward to hearing them.

i did have the dual stereo NHB-108's on the VR9's and no doubt they had a certain magic and immediacy compared to the single stereo NHB-108 on the VR9's. then i went off the deep end with the purchase of a 2nd set of Transparent Opus MM speaker cables. any doubters of my insanity regarding this hobby were then fully convinced.

as good as that did sound; my current Evolution Acoustics MM3's are equal or better (with only one dart and one set of Opus MM2). the MM3's do not allow for bi-amping.

i would expect the Lohengrin's to benefit from the bi-amping of 2 stereo darts. that should sound heavenly. considering the dart stereo owners which will likely switch to the monos there should be some good buys to be had on a dart stereo.

will that be better than a single set of dart mono's? that's a question only answered by listening or maybe an e-mail to Herve.

mikelavigne February 24, 2009 14:58

Stereotaipei: There is a crossover between the mids and tweeter which is a "constant voltage" type. In this type of crossover, there are no caps or resistors in the signal path.

The woofer uses an active crossover. The active amplifier takes the signal from your main amplifier and boosts that sonic signature to your woofer.

All the best!

Jonathan Tinn
Evolution Acoustic

jtinn February 24, 2009 05:20

Microstrip: The crossover is known as a "constant voltage" type.

Hervé is a wonderful host and I am sure the trip will be worth it!

Best Regards,

Jonathan Tinn
Evolution Acoustics

jtinn February 24, 2009 05:10

Jtinn,
Thanks for your answer. But curiosity got me - is it a diaural or Sonus Faber Extrema type crossover?
Next time I will be near Geneve I will have to accept Herve offer to listen to his EA MM3's!

microstrip February 23, 2009 23:39

not sure I understand your answer Jonathan: there is no passive crossover between drivers?
In the bass, the adjustments have an influence on the amplification curve of the booster, right? how does it work if not using a sort of RLC filter?
Easier to read your answer than opening my MM3 :-)

stereotaipei February 23, 2009 21:46

Microstrip: There are no capacitors in the signal path at all with any of the Evolution Acoustics models. For all intensive purposes imagine that there is just wire running from the speaker binding posts to the terminals on the drivers.

I hope this answers your question.

Best Regards,

Jonathan Tinn
Evolution Acoustics

jtinn February 23, 2009 05:04

Mike...there's are lot of reading here.....A absolutely stunning sound cacoon.....congrats.

wavetrader February 22, 2009 20:04

Mikelavigne,
Thanks for such a detailed report on your findings on the GUB.
I could read that the EA have the ability to control the crossover, the tweeter, the fullness of the bass and the bass extension. Do you know what is the range of these controls? The new Grande Utopia EM also have these possibilities, and I have seen that some of them can be easily fitted to the old GUB. Do you know what type of capacitors is used in the EA's ?

microstrip February 17, 2009 23:58

thnx for your comeback Mike.
the situation in Europe is not so good either, many car brands report sales down between 10>30% even BMW reports on 28% down last December.. still saving up for our Z4 though.
also saving up for the Darts.
the new Dart mono's should be really exciting.
i am curious to the design and how many transistors are beeing used at the output.
the stereoamp has only one pair of transistors each channel.
in my case a NHB108 to start with is a sure bet with 95dB spkrs and just add another NHB108 in the future if funds permit.
the Lohengrin has great bi-amping possibilities and reports on greatly enhanced performance are solid.
with this vertically bi-amping there are still 2 transistors, but now separated to bassbin and topspeaker. this could / would relieve the amps of stress greatly but pls share your realworld experiences on this Mike :-)
downside is the need for another speakercable but alas with any Dart you save on one powercord and (as in my case as in your case) say 5 to 9 meters on interconnect.
now that adds up to cost!
the Zeel50 is quite a solution to save big dollars if you need to apply such a lenght..
keep em spinning.

tuboo February 17, 2009 18:08

Microstrip,

i did hear the DCS Scarlatti at RMAF but i don't recall that is was with the darTZeel. i would guess either the Puccini or Scarlatti would sound very nice with the dart.

i have a friend with Grand Utopia Be's.....although i have not heard them for awhile. my take on the differences would be that;

-the ribbon tweeter of the Evolution Acoustics always integrates smoothly with the mid range ceramic driver. the top end is never prominent and yet is sweet and extended. the Be tweeter of the GUB can become prominent on some music depending on the amps. there is likely a bit more overall high frequency energy on the GUB. most diamond tweeters have this tendancy to my ears.

-i think that the Evolutions throw a bit more precise soundstage due to the rounded front baffle shape; the very broad front panel of the GUB is not quite as soundstage friendly. the GUB does throw a big sound stage and sounds alive. it's only in direct comparison where i prefer the Evolutions in this area.

--both are special in the mids but slightly different. not a good and bad thing. the Evolutions have a simpler crossover and less drivers.....and are maybe a slight bit more transparent. the GUB is maybe a bit more dynamic and every bit as detailed here. these are tiny differences.

--the GUB's use a passive ported bass enclosure and the Evolution Acoustics use a sealed active bass enclosure. both speakers have great bass performance but likely work in rooms differently. the Evolutions are an easier load for a mid-powered amp.

--overall these are two wonderfull speakers and the above issues are really nit-picking and system and room dependant. overall these two speakers likely are much more alike than different. i think the tweeter difference would be the most telling issue for leaning one way or the other.

if you are using the darts on the GUB i would expect my comments on the Be tweeter to be a non-issue and i would think it to be an excellent, synergistic combination. i have heard the GUB on 'big-tubes' and liked it. i have heard the GUB on 'big ss' and it was not my cup of tea.

i do think that both speakers are very high performance and require very precise set-up and tuning to sound their best.

mikelavigne February 17, 2009 05:03

Dgad,

assuming i keep pivoted arms on a long term basis i do intend to purchase a universal protractor tool such as the Wally or maybe the Feickert for when i switch arms around. but.....for now i think the Best Tractor/Mint Lp will get me closer with less experience.....based on my research. i know i will need to buy another Mint Lp template for the SP-10 Mk3 and whatever arm i end up with.

can you actually purchase a Wally Tractor these days? is he taking orders and delivering product?

mikelavigne February 17, 2009 04:27

Mikelavigne,
Did you have the opportunity of listening to the new DCS's, either the Puccini or the Scarlatti with DarTZeel?
BTW, how would you compare the tonal balance of the Evolution Acoustics with JM Lab Grand Utopias Be? I can assure you that the GUB sound great with the Dart's!

microstrip February 17, 2009 00:25

I have the Wally Universal that seems to be ideal for me. Some nice design points, as it is unbreakable, the thickness of an LP, and has special consideration for sighting the lines w. stylus to eliminate Parallax (did I say that right).

I hear you about business. I am dying this year, in jewelry it is just as bad. It is a take it easy year for me. MOst of my purchases were done prior to this nightmare. Good luck. I am much more focused than ever on reducing expenses to maintain profitablity rather than having a high inventory. One point is that we are not holding back w. marketing. Just being smarter about it.

dgad February 16, 2009 16:33

Roy, thanks for the link to the pictures of Andy's new Sirius V. i had seen his plans but never that rendering. i hope it happens.

Fred, thanks for the feedback from Andy. i wonder how the economy will figure into his plans. i agree that Andy is not one to blow smoke.

mikelavigne February 16, 2009 02:45

Eggo, thanks for the concern and i hope all is well with you too in Montreal.....things are good considering.....

mikelavigne February 16, 2009 02:38

hi Gabisiauk;

sorry for the lateness of my response. i have no experience with Ypsilion Electronics. i have seen them at shows but never listened critically to them.

best regards,

mikelavigne February 16, 2009 02:17

sorry, the link for the rear view of the 458 in my above post is broken and i could not edit it. here is a good link;

rear view

it looks great.

mikelavigne February 16, 2009 01:44

Mike and Henry,

i am very excited about the new dart monos. Henry thanks for your feedback on the sound. as i sit here and listen to the dart stereo amp it's hard to imagine how it could sound better.....but i'm confident it will.

for those who have not seen or heard about these new monos here are some pictures. the new darTZeel NHB-458 500 watt Monoblocks.....

front view

rear view

personally i think Herve has hit one out of the park in terms of high style.....total class.

mikelavigne February 16, 2009 01:20

i'm still working on my reel to reel stuff and the two new tt's.....budget permitting (and it's not permitting much lately). Steve Dobbins is still working on the plinth for the Technics SP-10 Mk3.....it should be a few more weeks. not sure which arm i'll mount.

i'm playing with my Garrard 301/Triplaner and really enjoying it. i'm breaking in a new Colibri XCP HO .45 now on the Garrard (i traded in my 7 year old XCP .85).

Tuboo; last summer i traded my 7 year old Colibri XGW on a Colibri XPP .3mv which still needs breakin.

Dgad; i'm glad the Colibri is finally singing for you. it does take some tune-up by vdH before the Colibri settles down. i hear ya on the 'warmth' thing. when the budget allows; i want to try the Koetsu Coralstone on one of my tt's. the RSP was just too soft for my tastes; the Coralstone might be just right for certain types of music.

i am in the middle of ordering the Mint Lp set-up template for my Garrard/Triplaner as it's clear i'm not an expert at pivoted arm set-up at this point and need all the help i can get.

mikelavigne February 15, 2009 23:51

well....OK....i guess here i go. it's been almost 4 months since i was here before.

caution; lame excuse zone ahead (i recommend this post is skipped)

Henry; thanks for your concerns....it's been mostly about the energy business has demanded lately. it sucks working three times as hard for one third the benefit....but that's the car biz in the last 6 months.....and we do better than almost anyone in this biz. i know just about everyone is affected by these times to some degree and i'm not alone with my challenges. anyone in retail is being pinched and punched.

things have settled down a bit lately (we have simply adjusted our business plan to the new reality) so i'm getting back into the audio more.

i've been listening to the music all along and it's been a real source of comfort and stress relief. OTOH i had been falling asleep early most every night listening. not much time to post or answer e-mails.

anyway; this is about audio and not life's realities. so lets turn the page on that stuff. no one reads this to hear me whineing.

mikelavigne February 15, 2009 23:21

Lapierre,

no, i have not yet heard the EMM Labs DAC2 (unless it was at RMAF and i heard it but did not notice). i'm happy with my Playback Designs MPS-5 which does similar things but also includes an Esoteric Transport (and saves me shelf space).

at some point is would be interesting to compare them.

mikelavigne February 15, 2009 22:40

Mike have you looked into the Meitner Emm Labs DAC2?

lapierre February 15, 2009 05:23

Dgad
Have Colibri XCW 0,85mV which has seen quite some tuning to get along with different arms in it's lifespan.
the wooden bodies do offer something special compared to the carbonate or metal bodies. to my information there have been 20x 'W' bodies made but maybe my information is outdated.
i guess i use my XCW example for some 8 years now.
keep em spinning:-)

tuboo February 13, 2009 16:54

Not to interfere in a thread, but reviewers need amplifiers with a different set of priorities than some of us regular folk that keep our speakers for long. But one thing I love about MF is his listening taste is easy to ready and I happen to line up with him often.

Mike,

Been listening to a Colibri XGW. I now have basically had the same comparison in cartridges as you but w. a different table. Until I got the VdH to sound right it kept going back for tuning etc. But now it is so far ahead of any other cartridge in the areas where it excels. I follow your love for this cartridge. I am a little nuts, so I ordered one more XGP to see if it can be bettered. I was depating XCP but decided to stay away from copper as I had bad luck w. my Condor XCM. The one thing that I do miss sometimes is the Koetsu type warmth. But then you miss the dynamics of the Colibri. Thanks for inspiring me to try one more time.

dgad February 11, 2009 19:11

Mtkhl567: I agree, they were remarkable.

jtinn February 11, 2009 01:08